Dr Doriane Sabushimike is Albinism Outreach Program Lead at the Kamenge Military Hospital in Bujumbura, Burundi and Visiting Examiner for Advanced Diplomas in Dermatovenereology at the Regional Dermatology Training Center (RDTC), Tanzania.

In Burundi, people living with albinism face severe societal stigma and threats to their safety from misbeliefs perpetuated by sorcery cults. As a result, many live in isolation with limited access to medical service leading to delayed diagnosis and advanced stages of skin cancer.

This project aims to deliver crucial medical support through health education, skin cancer screening and treatment, and the distribution of sun protection. It also aims to provide better care for people living with albinism by increasing the number of outreach clinics across the country. A focal person to support people living with albinism will also be appointed in each province. During outreach clinics, training sessions will be given to healthcare professionals on albinism-related healthcare to enhance the capacity of local healthcare facilities to provide on-going care to people living with albinism.

This project is being undertaken in collaboration with Avocats sans Frontières, the Kamenge Military Hospital and the Regional Dermatology Training Center in Moshi, Tanzania.

Dr Yared Mekonnen is Assistant Professor of Dermatovenereology at the Haramaya University in Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, leprosy continues to impose both a physical and psychosocial burden to affected individuals. Leprosy-affected persons are socially stigmatised, which profoundly impacts their economic and psychological wellbeing.

This project aims to improve the quality of life for leprosy-affected persons and their families in eastern Ethiopia. This will be achieved by providing training to healthcare workers to promote early diagnosis and treatment and to improve the existing care facilities. The programme will also promote educational initiatives to increase the understanding of leprosy in rural communities to reduce the stigma and social ostracism associated with the disease.

This project will be carried out in collaboration with Haramaya University, the only specialised, comprehensive referral hospital serving the eastern part of Ethiopia.

Dr Jose Ollague is a dermatologist at the Hospital General Guasmo Sur in Guayaquil, Ecuador. His project involves the creation of a dermatopathological digital library to strengthen the clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic skills of dermatology residents at the hospital.

Current techniques for the teaching of dermatopathology in Ecuador have serious limitations. To overcome this problem, this project will harness the latest technologies to create a digital dermatopathology library of images of cases of dermatological diseases and tumours. Trainees will be able to navigate the histopathological images in the library remotely at their own pace and time, review them at different magnifications, and test their knowledge using digital quizzes. The library will enable trainees to understand pathophysiological changes and to recognise histological findings.

This new resource will help to enhance the clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic skills of the hospital’s residents so that they can provide a higher level of dermatological care to their patients in Guasmo Sur, a deprived part of the city of Guayaquil, where access to healthcare is limited.

This project is being carried out in collaboration with the Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Dermatologia.

Dr Gaylord Inena Wa Inena is studying for a PhD in Medicine at Kampala International Teaching Hospital in Uganda. His project aims to facilitate access to dermatological care for people living with albinism in the city of Tshikapa.

Tshikapa is the capital city of Kasai Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has a high prevalence of people living with albinism who experience morbidity and mortality linked to skin cancers. The city currently has no medical staff trained in dermatology or initiatives to care for people living with albinism.

This project will facilitate the training of a permanent medical team with the expertise to provide dermatological care to people with albinism. The team will provide regular distributions of sun creams, health education to the community, and continuity of care.

This project is being carried out in association with Corbetta RDC, a non-governmental organisation which campaigns for skin health for people living with albinism.

Dr Marlous Grijsen works at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit Indonesia (OUCRU ID). Her project aims to tackle the large, under-recognised burden of neglected skin diseases on the island of Sumba in Eastern Indonesia. Sumba is one of the most remote and under-developed parts of Indonesia.

On Sumba, cases of leprosy are only treated when individuals present at a clinic which prevents many from accessing care. This project aims to take an active approach to detection and treatment, strengthening the local expertise and capacity in managing leprosy and other neglected skin conditions. This will increase access to quality skin care, reduce disfigurement and the associated stigma, and improve the quality of life of those affected.

As a first step, a 10-day training programme will be delivered by a dermatologist with experience in managing skin neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Field visits will then be performed house-to-house in two large areas of Sumba to identify and treat individuals affected by leprosy and other skin-NTDs.

The project is being undertaken in collaboration with the Sumba Foundation, an NGO that supports five clinics on the island.